Teen's drowning prompts review of old mooring platforms

Jul. 20, 2017

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — The mayor of Burlington, Vermont, wants officials to look into the city's lifeguard policies and review unused mooring platforms in Lake Champlain after a teen drowned while swimming to one of the structures.

In a Tuesday email obtained by the Burlington Free Press (http://bfpne.ws/2vmPLKW ), Burlington Fire Department Chief Steven Locke called for an urgent meeting to review the specifics of the mayor's order.

Seventeen-year-old Christian Kibabu died last week in the water off Oakledge Park, which does not have permanent lifeguards.

The city is investigating who owns the platforms, which were once used to pump oil to shore from barges. The city believes they technically still belong to the oil company, but some officials say they have been effectively abandoned and may now be state property.